Fuel Articles

The U.S. Department of Commerce Oct. 23 announced a preliminary determination regarding biodiesel imports from Argentina and Indonesia, finding biodiesel is being dumped into the United States at below fair-market value. As a result, biodiesel importers will be required to pay cash deposits to the U.S. government on biodiesel imports from Argentina and Indonesia at a rate equal to the dumping margins.

It is well known that higher productivity vehicles and fuel efficiency standards for trucks are gradually reducing the per-vehicle demand for diesel, which is likely to change operations at truckstop and travel plaza locations across the country.

On December 15, Congress unveiled a massive tax and spending package that will be debated over the remainder of this week. NATSO will be analyzing the thousands of pages of legislation in the coming days, but is pleased to report that some lawmakers' efforts to convert the biodiesel blenders credit to a biodiesel producers credit has failed.

The trucking industry is constantly adjusting to and preparing for new regulations, and the coming years are no different. Two of the primary regulatory issues the trucking industry is monitoring are requirements to use speed limiters and electronic logging devices. The Department of Transportation is also considering altering regulations related to driver health.

The need to get items to consumers quickly coupled with concerns over aging infrastructure and supply chain disruptions is driving a growing number of retailers and shippers to position product regionally throughout the country

Sapp Bros.’ first location opened on June 7, 1971, in Omaha, Neb. Today there are 16 travel centers located in eight states. F rom the beginning, the company has always embraced new ideas and technology that would improve its offerings and better meet its customers’ needs. With this focus in mind, this year they added natural gas to one location in Lincoln, Neb., and are working on installing the second in Columbus, Neb. They are contemplating adding two more this year.

While alternative fuels and technologies may increase in the future, diesel will remain the primary fuel for the trucking industry for decades. The findings were part of a two-year study on the future of alternative fuels conducted by the National Petroleum Council. The U.S. Secretary of Energy requested the study, which looked at the full breadth of alternative-fuel options alongside traditional diesel and gasoline.

The number of states seeking to generate transportation revenues by adjusting their state motor fuel taxes continues to grow, with lawmakers in Minnesota, Vermont and Pennsylvania marking the latest to introduce such legislation.

Diesel fuel will remain the primary fuel the trucking industry uses for decades to come, according to a two-year study on the future of alternative fuels conducted by the National Petroleum Council. The U.S. Secretary of Energy requested the study, which looked at a range of alternative-fuel options alongside traditional diesel and gasoline.

Industry suppliers know that understanding their customers increases service levels in addition to profits. While no two days are ever exactly the same for truckstop and travel plaza operators, Highway Business Matters sat down with Mark Russell, director of operations for Russell’s Truck and Travel Center 2, near Amarillo, Texas to learn about a typical day.

U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-M.S.) and David Vitter (R-La.) have introduced legislation to block an increase in the amount of ethanol that can be blended with gasoline. The bill would overturn Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) waivers that allowed gasoline containing 15 percent ethanol (E15) to be used for many passenger cars and light trucks, and would prohibit the agency from granting future waivers for any blends above 10 percent ethanol.

Tom Kloza, the chief analyst at the Oil Price Information Service, said a concentration of crude from Canada, down through North Dakota, Missouri and West Texas is creating opportunities for local refineries, resulting in lower prices in some markets.

Knowing what products to stock and when can boost sales and profits for truckstop and travel plaza operators. Operators take time to get to know the drivers who come into their locations each day, but to foster long-term relationships, they must also get to know the corporate executives at the trucking companies where those drivers work.

Jimmy Haslam, chairman and CEO of Pilot Flying J, Frank Love, president of operations for Love’s Travel Stops, and Thomas O’Brien, CEO of TravelCenters of America spoke in the session “Infrastructure Hurdles: The Chicken or the Egg.”

Fuel supplies in New York and New Jersey are slowly returning to normal after Hurricane Sandy, and officials are continuing to take action to reduce shortages that still remain in some areas. In New York City and Long Island, authorities announced gas rationing systems that started on Nov. 9.